He was found non-responsive by French chef and friend Eric Ripert. CNN that hosted Bourdain's travel show confirmed the news.

Celebrity chef and master storyteller Anthony Bourdain was found dead in a hotel room in France. Bourdain was 61. The chef was reportedly in France shooting for an upcoming episode of his award-winning series, Parts Unknown. The cause of his death is said to be suicide and he was found non-responsive by French chef and friend Eric Ripert. CNN that hosted Bourdain's travel show confirmed the news. "It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain," the network said in a statement on Friday morning. "His love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink and the remarkable stories of the world made him a unique storyteller. His talents never ceased to amaze us and we will miss him very much. Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughter and family at this incredibly difficult time," CNN added.

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Bourdain shot to fame with his book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. His first world-travel show was A Cook's Tour, following which he hosted many more, including Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations for Travel Channel. In 2013, he switched to CNN and starred in his show Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.

As mentioned in a report in CNN, The Smithsonian once called him "the original rock star" of the culinary world, "the Elvis of bad boy chefs."

Bourdain was awarded the Peabody Judges Award in 2013. While accepting the award, the master chef said, "We ask very simple questions: What makes you happy? What do you eat? What do you like to cook? And everywhere in the world we go and ask these very simple questions. We tend to get some really astonishing answers."

News of Anthony Bourdain comes after three days of fashion designer Kate Spade's death, who hanged herself in her Manhattan apartment.